


it's a wonderful life

by justdk



Series: keep it together [7]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, alive!Noah, public library
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21725971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdk/pseuds/justdk
Summary: A day in the life of Noah Czerny, public librarian.
Relationships: Henry Cheng/Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent, Noah Czerny/Jonah Milo, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Series: keep it together [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560091
Comments: 1
Kudos: 38
Collections: Czernsgiving 2019 A Noah Week





	it's a wonderful life

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Czernsgiving Day 6: Free. This is so self-indulgent because I'm a public librarian and I wanted to write some soft holiday fluff <3

Noah hummed “Deck the Halls” under his breath as he busied himself around the circulation desk hanging another string of lights. It was a slow day – most days were slow – and he worked in uninterrupted peace getting the lights just right. He dug through the cardboard box of old ornaments he had brought from home, as well as the paper bag of decorations he had selected from a craft fair downtown. There was a special pile of ornaments that the children and teens had made for the holiday craft last week and he planned to display them in prime spots throughout his tiny library.

The door opened and one of his regulars, Adam Parrish, walked in, his back bowed under the weight of his heavy backpack. Noah waved hello and Adam waved back, one hand desperately clutching the strap of his backpack, before heading to his usual study carrel located by the large picture window that looked out over the small library garden. Adam was quiet and reserved, a senior at Aglionby Academy, and one of the smartest people that Noah had met. Adam came in every day after school and stayed until closing, working on homework and reading his way through the books he had Noah order from the other libraries.

Adam settled in and Noah popped back behind the desk and started a fresh pot of coffee. Noah’s freebie coffees and teas were one of the unofficial perks of his library branch, one that the head librarian at the system headquarters chose to overlook. He also brought in cookies or other snacks, especially when he hosted events at his branch. He had started making coffee for Adam – though he pretended he was only making it for himself and sharing it with the high school student – after Adam kept nodding off at his desk. While sleeping was technically against the rules Noah would have looked the other way except Adam always got quietly upset and embarrassed when he would wake up –sometimes hours later – and realize he had wasted his entire afternoon. Noah wasn’t sure if it _was_ a waste, clearly the boy had sleep to catch up on, but he trusted Adam to look out for himself and so: coffee.

Once the pot had filled Noah went over and let Adam know. He also told the few other patrons who were in the library: Mr. Perkins who came to read the daily paper and use the free wifi; Summers who used the computers to watch anime, and Marci Abrams who had dropped in with her two little girls to pick out some picture books. Marci declined the offer of coffee but Adam, Mr. Perkins, and Summers queued up and fixed mugs of coffee, using the selection of sweeteners and creamers to get it how they liked it. Mr. Perkins took a moment to tell Noah about a story in the paper’s crime beat about the vandalism of holiday displays (really, it was probably boys from Aglionby under the influence and thinking it was hilarious to arrange lawn decorations in inappropriate poses). Summers complimented the decorations and offered to loan Noah some of their anime figures – wearing Santa hats, of course – to complete the look. Adam didn’t say much but he did thank Noah for the coffee and returned two incredibly hefty science books. 

After everyone had settled back into their respective spaces Noah began the task of hanging ornaments from the ceiling and from the strands of lights. While most of the decorations were not specifically tied to any certain holiday he did have a few to represent different religious celebrations. Marci pointed out the menorah to her children and they clapped in delight; she also picked up one of the holiday themed reading list bookmarks that had suggested titles for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, as well as general wintery reads. She pushed her stack of picture books to Noah and they chatted about the weather, the plans for the next kids’ day, and the new season of Doctor Who. Marci’s girls took some stickers and coloring sheets with them and Noah offered them both high fives. They grinned and called out “bye Mr. Noah!” as they followed their mother outside.

Snow was beginning to fall and before long the light was failing. Other people trickled into the branch library, picking up books on hold, browsing the shelves, logging onto the computers, or finding a quiet spot to read or study. Noah made more coffee and prepared a mug of tea for himself. He was nearly finished with decorating when Blue Sargent tumbled in, her messily knitted hat askew on her equally messy hair, snowflakes clinging to her hat and coat. She made a beeline for Adam, dropping down in the chair beside his desk and waving her hand in front of his face until he took out his earbud and looked at her. They whispered quietly, Blue tipped forward in her chair until her knees were almost touching Adam. Blue seemed excited about something and Adam offered her a tired smile but shook his head and gestured at his books.

Noah looked away. Henrietta was a small town and his library was an even smaller microcosm of the community. His branch was located within walking distance of the trailer park as well as some other lower income neighborhoods. It wasn’t the two-story main library downtown and, to most of Henrietta, it was a secret. His library existed for this community that, quite frankly, lacked the financial resources and transportation available to the folks who lived out in the gated communities. It existed for people like Adam and Summers, who didn’t want to go home; for the families that couldn’t afford things like wifi and cable; for the readers and students; for the unemployed searching for jobs; for the parents looking for books to read to their kids. His library, he hoped, was a haven to this community, a place where anyone would feel welcome and comfortable. Noah glanced at the ornaments the kids had made, at the one he had made of a snowperson wearing a trans pride scarf. He had also made a rainbow striped heart ornament and put it proudly on the desk along with the menorah, the miniature Christmas tree, and the Kawanzaa kinara.

There had been some push back from people in the community when Noah had gone all out with the Pride displays in June and then in November when he had pushed Native American Heritage Month over Thanksgiving décor. But none of _his_ patrons had complained and the head librarian had supported his choices. Noah liked to think it was simply because the librarian really did like what he was doing and not that she was letting Noah get away with it because he as from a privileged, well regarded Henrietta family. His family still didn’t understand why – after going to Aglionby and attending a prestigious college – he had come home to be a public librarian. Noah didn’t know how to explain it to them.

The change in his priorities and ambitions had occurred during his senior year when he had had a major breakdown. It had come after his then best friend Barrington Whelk had lost everything and then tried to kill Noah in an arcane ritual to gain supernatural power. Try explaining that to cops and therapists and concerned family members. Noah had gone to a treatment facility for a month, somehow managing to stay enrolled at Aglionby, and there his life had changed. He had met teens from all different backgrounds, with problems as varied and complex as their personalities and life experiences. He was treated by doctors and mental health professionals and he learned, after awhile, that he had to stop talking about ley lines and magic, not because he didn’t believe in them, but because they were never going to let him leave if he didn’t stop obsessing about his visions and his reoccurring nightmare of the boy covered in bees. Truth be told he still had that nightmare, he still felt haunted by his experiences. Whelk was in prison, he would be for years and years, and Noah had eventually stopped visiting him; he couldn’t do anything for Whelk and Whelk… he wanted nothing to do with Noah.

“Excuse me.”

Noah blinked, coming back to himself in a startle of embarrassment; he was usually better at keeping his unpleasant thoughts locked away.

“Ah, sorry about that,” Noah said. He shook himself and offered the boy standing in front of him an apologetic smile. “What can I help you with, Gansey?”

Gansey, another friend of Adam Parrish, was a well-known student at Aglionby Academy. He’d only started stopping by Noah’s library within the last year, lured by the company of Adam and Blue. Noah, an Aglionby alumnus, knew that his small collection didn’t have much to offer a scholar like Gansey when compared with the library at Aglionby and yet Gansey never acted like this was the case.

“I was wondering if you have the new Dresden Files novel?” Gansey asked. “I checked the shelf but I didn’t see it.”

“Oh, yeah, right over here.” Noah moved around the desk and led Gansey to the front of the library and the window display he had done of the new books. He picked out the Jim Butcher novel and presented it to Gansey with a flourish. “No spoilers,” he promised, “but I think this is the best one yet.”

Gansey accepted the book with a pleased grin. “After binge reading the series this summer it felt like this book would _never_ get here.” He followed Noah back to the desk and handed over his library card and the book. “I’ll share my thoughts with you after I read it.”

Noah laughed quietly. “Knowing you that’ll be tomorrow, right?”

Gansey flushed at the praise. “Well, I do have Latin homework so perhaps on Monday. If my roommate doesn’t steal it from me.”

Ronan Lynch, Gansey’s roommate, had been known to abscond with library books leading to enormous late fees. On one occasion Gansey had to pay for the price of a book because Ronan’s pet raven – _yes, a raven_ – had disemboweled the paperback copy of _The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_. Gansey had been very upset and had also made a sizable and completely unnecessary donation to the library. Thanks to the donation the branch had been able to buy more new books and a bench for the library garden. A special plaque had been made in Gansey’s honor and included an obscure Latin quote about kings and ravens.

After helping Gansey Noah did a sweep of the library, straightening chairs, collecting books to reshelve, and listening to Summers talk about the latest episode of Naruto. Noah finished tidying up and checked his phone. He had a text from Jonah asking if he would like to go to Nino’s after work.

Noah blushed and ducked his head, texting back with trembling fingers. Things with Jonah were still in the new stage. They’d started dating this fall after their initial meeting at the start of the semester when Jonah had visited the library to check out some cookbooks. Noah had been immediately charmed by Jonah’s easygoing manner and his good looks. Jonah had taken one of the Pride Reads bookmarks and had particularly complimented the selection of books by trans authors. Before Noah had realized it half an hour had gone by and he and Jonah were still talking about queer books and films and dropping casual details about their lives. When Jonah had left, Noah had sat in an astonished, pleased stupor for nearly an hour, getting absolutely nothing done. He regretted not exchanging contact information with Jonah, no matter how unprofessional that would have been. But then, the next day, Jonah was back with a cup of coffee for Noah and an invitation to dinner. Honestly, Noah thought with a fond sigh, Jonah was too good to be true.

The door slammed open, letting in a rush of cold air, and Ronan Lynch stormed by the desk, a close fitted black beanie covering his shaved head. He had left his raven in the car, thank God. He walked up to the group of teens and moved to stand behind Adam. He lowered his bare hands and pressed the palms to Adam’s neck. Adam flinched and swatted at Ronan, and Noah caught the words _so cold!_ Ronan laughed, too loud for the library, and sprawled in the chair by Adam. His ankle hooked the leg of Adam’s chair and he dragged him closer so he could whisper in his ear. Adam flushed and pushed his hand over Ronan’s mouth. Gansey and Blue, wrapped up in their own conversation, made shushing noises at the pair.

Noah huffed out a quiet laugh. Never in a million years would he have put the four teens in the same friend group. All they were missing was their fifth friend, the ebullient and ever fashionable Henry Cheng. Noah had only met Henry on a few occasions, usually when he came to collect Blue and Gansey, but the boy always had something nice to say about the library.

Right before closing Noah had a sudden influx of patrons, most of them hurrying in after work to check out books and movies or to do some quick work on the computers. Adam, Blue, Gansey, and Ronan left a few minutes before closing. Adam returned his coffee mug and thanked Noah again for the coffee. Ronan had Adam’s backpack slung over his shoulder, his other arm wrapped around Adam’s waist. He nodded at Noah, and then Gansey and Blue stopped to say their goodbyes.

Finally it was quitting time and Noah did one more sweep of the library, turned off the lights, and washed up the mugs. He gathered his messenger bag – covered in pins and buttons – and checked his phone. Jonah had sent him a series of texts and his last one was a picture of the library, the windows glowing with soft golden light, the decorations sparkling, and Noah sitting behind the desk, his attention focused on a book. Jonah had captioned it: _all I want for Hanukkah is you_. Noah smiled so hard his face hurt. He texted back _that can be arranged_ _;)_

As he locked the door to his little library Noah exhaled a happy sigh. He patted the door fondly and turned to where Jonah’s car was parked at the curb, his adorable boyfriend huddled inside waiting for him, and thought _this is a pretty wonderful life_.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr @dkafterdark


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